Landscaping Plans

The worst thing you can do when embarking on any home improvement project is poor planning. You will be investing a lot of time and hard earned money to make your landscape an extension of your character so the last thing you want is for that character to be a thoughtless one.

Follow these steps and you'll be off to a great start.

Develop A Plot Plan It is hard to visualize where everything in your yard will be placed. Humans a very good at judging space, but many folks get a little too enthusiastic with their landscaping plans. Get out some drafting paper, measure your yard, and put your dreams to paper. You'll know then what will go where and to what scale.

Conduct a Site Analysis Find out where the best soil is, if the earth has a lot of rocks, what areas will get shade, what areas will get wet. See how your yard drains, it would be a shame to have two ponds in your yard. The one you planned and the one you didn't.

Assess Family Concerns You may be the designer, but everyone has to live with your design. Make sure that you son and daughter have room to play catch, your husband has room to lay in a hammock, and your wife have a vegetable garden to grow herbs. They will thank you for it.

Proper Access There is little point in deigning a landscape that people won't be able to fully appreciate. Stagger your garden so large plants are in the back, and smaller ones in the front. Also, try and select paths that can be navigated to see the entire work of art from every different perspective.

Plant Selection This is truly the fun part. Plants offer more variety than any category of nature on earth. Take your time to put together a cornucopia of scents and colors (and sounds) that will force people to stop and stare. If you want you can even incorporate plants that will yield edibles. While this may attract some unwanted beasts (and some wanted ones) the extra life in your backyard will make it all worthwhile.